Nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation: NICHES at the launch of the BiodivClim Knowledge Hub

8 February 2023

Changes in climate have a tangible effect on global biodiversity and the health of various ecosystems and their functions, including on how ecosystems help to regulate the climate (e.g. regulation of greenhouse gas emissions). Feedback processes involving the impact of climate change on biodiversity or societal responses to the changing state of ecosystems can induce an array of actions and approaches to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. 

As part of the BiodivClim ERANET COFUND (2019) to support research on biodiversity and climate change, a Knowledge Hub on the 'Potential of nature-based solutions for mitigation and adaptation to climate change' has been set-up. This dynamic ‘community of practice’ is composed of around 30 experts from BiodivClim-funded projects as well as Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions, including NICHES project coordinator McKenna Davis and NICHES partner Tom Wild.

The launch of the BiodivClim Knowledge Hub is being held on the 8-9 February 2023 in Brussels. Participants are holding discussions to develop plans for how to most effectively contribute to the integration and sharing of knowledge, data, and modelling tools so as to improve communication and networking between the European research community and enhance the impact of knowledge transfer towards policy and society.

NICHES partners are part of the Task Force on science-policy/science-society interface, which is responsible for activities including:

  • Organising stakeholder events, which involve practitioners, policy makers, or civil society;
  • Producing specific societal and policy-relevant products such as policy briefs, white papers, policy guidance;
  • Contributing to (science-)policy processes such as IPBES, IPCC, CBD and other biodiversity-related conventions and capacity-building entities;
  • Organising dedicated trainings on science communication.


The NICHES partners attending and participating in the Task Force will present the project, its goals and links to biodiversity and nature-based solutions (NBS), and will delineate NICHES' contribution to mitigating the effects of heavy rainfall events in urban ecosystems through a focus on NBS.

Image: Nikola Majksner on Unsplash

Image: McKenna Davis